‘You’re too big of a girl’: Salon owner accused of refusing service to overweight women

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A North Carolina woman says she is being discriminated against after being turned away for a pedicure based on her size.

Tiffany Nelson said when she walked through the doors of QC Nails for a pedicure, she was told, "No, we're not doing that anymore for you. Our chairs will break, you're too big of a girl to sit in our chairs."

"That's not okay," Nelson told WCNC-TV. "It's not okay to body shame people. It's not okay to discriminate against anyone."

She said weight should not determine whether a person is granted service.

"My heart just hurts for other women who don't know what to do or who are afraid to speak up. You should be happy just the way you are," Nelson said.

It is not against the law for a private business owner to deny service if weight will damage their property.

However, Nelson said she believes that the new weight limit policy should be posted for all customers to see before entering the nail salon.

The owner told a reporter he does plan to post signs as soon as he finds out the maximum weight limit from the manufacturer of his spa chairs.

A similar incident made national news after a nail salon owner in Tennessee also banned obese customers after he says a couple of expensive spa chairs were broken by their weight, costing him more than $2,200.